Marker and reporter genes: Illuminating tools for environmental microbiologists

Current Opinion in Microbiology

Volumn 6, Issue 3, 2003, Pages 310-316

  Jansson, Janet K ^a  

^a SWEDISH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES   (Sweden)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN; LUCIFERASE;

APPLE; AZOSPIRILLUM BRASILENSE; BACILLUS CEREUS; BIOFILM; BIOREMEDIATION; BIOSENSOR; CELL CULTURE; CELL POPULATION; ECOLOGY; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; ESCHERICHIA COLI; FLOW CYTOMETRY; FLUORESCENCE; GENE TRANSFER; GRAM NEGATIVE BACTERIUM; GRAM POSITIVE BACTERIUM; LUMINESCENCE; MARKER GENE; METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE; MICROBIAL POPULATION DYNAMICS; MICROBIOLOGY; NONHUMAN; PH; PHENOTYPE; PHYSIOLOGY; PLANT LEAF; PROTEIN EXPRESSION; PSEUDOMONADACEAE; PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA; RALSTONIA SOLANACEARUM; REPORTER GENE; REVIEW; SALMONELLA ENTERICA; SUGAR BEET; TRICHODERMA;

AZOSPIRILLUM BRASILENSE; BACILLUS CEREUS; BACTERIA (MICROORGANISMS); BETA VULGARIS SUBSP. VULGARIS; ESCHERICHIA COLI; MALUS X DOMESTICA; METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE; NEGIBACTERIA; POSIBACTERIA; PSEUDOMONADACEAE; PSEUDOMONAS; PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA; RALSTONIA SOLANACEARUM; SALMONELLA ENTERICA; TRICHODERMA;

EID: 0038265115     PISSN: 13695274     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S1369-5274(03)00057-2     Document Type: Review

References (46)

1. Burlage RS: Emerging technologies: bioreporters, biosensors and microprobes. In Manual of Environmental Microbiology, edn 2. Edited by Hurst CJ, Crawford RL, Knudsen GR, McInerney MJ, Stetzenback LD. Washington: ASM Press; 2002:147-157.
2. Jansson JK: Antibiotic, chromogenic and luminescent markers for bacteria. In Manual of Environmental Microbiology, edn 2. Edited by Hurst CJ, Crawford RL, Knudsen GR, McInerney MJ, Stetzenback LD. Washington: ASM Press; 2002:604-614.
3. Leaveau JHJ, Lindow SE: Bioreporters in microbial ecology. Curr Opin Microbiol 2002, 5:259-265.
4. Lindow SE, Leveau JHJ: Phyllosphere microbiology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2002, 13:238-243.
5. Loper JE, Lindow SE: Reporter gene systems useful in evaluation of in situ gene expression by soil- and plant-associated bacteria. In Manual of Environmental Microbiology, edn 2. Edited by Hurst CJ, Crawford RL, Knudsen GR, McInerney MJ, Stetzenback LD. Washington: ASM Press; 2002:627-637.
6. Sayler GS, Fleming JT, Nivens DE: Gene expression monitoring in soils by mRNA analysis and gene lux fusions. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2001, 12:455-460.
7. Southward CM, Surette MG: The dynamic microbe: green fluorescent protein brings bacteria to light. Mol Microbiol 2002, 45:1191-1196.
8. Maksimow M, Hakkila K, Karp M, Virta M: Simultaneous detection of bacteria expressing gfp and dsred genes with a flow cytometer. Cytometry 2002, 47:243-247.
9. Reisner A, Molin S, Zechner EL: Recombinogenic engineering of conjugative plasmids with fluorescent marker cassettes. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2002, 42:251-259. The method they describe is applicable to all plasmids that replicate in Escherichia coli where some DNA sequence information is available. This enables fluorescent reporter genes to be inserted into conjugative plasmids with precise site specificity. The negative aspect is that the engineering needs to be done in E. coli before transferring to other hosts.
10. Haagansen JAJ, Hansen SK, Johansen T, Molin S: In situ detection of horizontal transfer of mobile genetic elements. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2002, 42:261-268.
11. Unge A, Jansson JK: Monitoring population size, activity and distribution of gfp-luxAB-tagged Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 during colonisation of wheat. Microb Ecol 2001, 41:290-300. A dual GFP-luxAB marker was demonstrated to be useful for simultaneous localization of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 cells on seeds and localization of regions on the seeds containing metabolically active cells based on the GFP and luciferase phenotypes, respectively.
12. Gau AE, Dietrich C, Kloppstech K: Non-invasive determination of plant-associated bacteria in the phyllosphere of plants. Environ Microbiol 2002, 4:744-752.
13. Sabaratnam S, Beattie GA: Differences between Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a and Pantoea agglomerans BRT98 in epiphytic and endophytic colonization of leaves. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003, 69:1220-1228. This report involved both a laboratory study and a field trial at a research farm in Iowa. A permit for releasing the gfp-marked recombinant strains was obtained from the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The number of GFP-tagged cells on leaves was determined by microscopy. Pseudomonas syringae exhibited poor survival on maize leaves in the two laboratory studies but established endophytic and epiphytic populations on maize in the field.
14. Ramos HJO, Roncato-Maccari LDB, Souza EM, Soares-Ramos JRL, Hungria M, Pedrosa FO: Monitoring Azospirillum-wheat interactions using the gfp and gusA genes constitutively expressed from a new broad-host range vector. J Biotechnol 2002, 97:243-252.
15. Hu G, St. Leger RJ: Field studies using a recombinant mycoinsecticide (Metarhizium anisopliae) reveal that it is rhizosphere competent. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:6383-6387.
16. Maoz A, Mayr R, Bresolin G, Neuhaus K, Francis KP, Scherer S: Sensitive in situ monitoring of a recombinant bioluminescent Yersinia enterocolitica reporter mutant in real time on Camembert Cheese. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:5737-5740.
17. Brandl MT, Mandrell RE: Fitness of Salmonella enterica serovar Thompson in the cilantro phyllosphere. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:3614-3621. The results strengthen the hypothesis that preharvest contamination of crops by Salmonella enterica plays a role in outbreaks linked to fresh fruits and vegetables.
18. Solomon EB, Yaron S, Matthews KR: Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 from contaminated manure and irrigation water to lettuce plant tissue and its subsequent internalization. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:397-400.
19. Wattiau P, Springael D, Agathos SN, Wuertz S: Use of the pAL5000 replicon in PAH-degrading mycobacteria: application for strain labelling and promoter probing. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2002, 59:700-705.
20. Banning N, Toze S, Mee BJ: Persistence of biofilm-associated Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in groundwater and treated effluent in a laboratory model system. Microbiology 2003, 149:47-55.
21. Rice AR, Hamilton MA, Camper AK: Movement, replication, and emigration rates of individual bacteria in a biofilm. Microb Ecol 2003, 45:163-172. This type of information is useful for modeling predictions on biofilm responses to various conditions. The data showed that cells in a 3-10 μm thick biofilm are still actively moving with a velocity of 1 μm/h.
22. Christensen BB, Haagensen JAJ, Heydorn A, Molin S: Metabolic commensalism and competition in a two-species microbial consortium. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:2495-2502. It was demonstrated that two microorganisms competed or displayed commensal relationships depending on whether they were grown together in a chemostat or in a biofilm, respectively. In chemostats, they competed for the primary carbon source and benzyl alcohol, whereas in biofilms, the organisms established structured, surface attached heterogeneous niches.
23. Sauer K, Camper AK, Ehrlich GD, Costerton JW, Davies DG: Pseudomonas aeroginosa displays multiple phenotypes during development as a biofilm. J Bacteriol 2002, 184: 1140-1154.
24. Heydorn A, Ersbøll B, Kato J, Hentzer M, Parsek MR, Tolker-Nielsen T, Givskov M, Molin S: Statistical analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm development: impact of mutations in genes involved in twitching motility, cell-to-cell signaling, and stationary-phase sigma factor expression. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:2008-2017. Mutants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were designed to disrupt genes thought to be important for biofilm formation. Results of these studies threw new light on the process as some functions such as twitching motility and quorum-sensing do not seem to be as important for biofilm formation in flow chambers as previously thought.
25. Yoshida A, Kuramitsu HK: Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation: utilization of a gtfB promoter-green fluorescent protein (PgtfB::gfp) construct to monitor development. Microbiology 2002, 148:3385-3394.
26. Shao CY, Howe CJ, Porter JR, Glover LA: Novel cyanobacterial biosensor for detection of herbicides. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:5026-5033.
27. Stiner L, Halverson LJ: Development and characterization of a green fluorescent protein-based bacterial biosensor for bioavailable toluene and related compounds. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:1962-1971. There was good agreement between the measured fluorescence and the predicted fluorescence in pollutant mixtures and in gasoline, which suggests that these components are acting in an additive manner. The predicted toluene equivalent concentrations in the gasoline had a linear relationship with the fluorescence output.
28. Yarwood RR, Rockhold ML, Niemet MR, Selker JS, Bottomley PJ: Noninvasive quantitative measurement of bacterial growth in porous media under unsaturated-flow conditions. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:3597-3605.
29. Holden PA, LaMontagne MG, Bruce AK, Miller WG, Lindow SE: Assessing the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa surface-active gene expression in hexadecane biodegradation in sand. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:2509-2518.
30. Bechor O, Smulski DR, Van Dyk TK, LaRossa RA, Belkin S: Recombinant microorganisms as environmental biosensors: pollutants detection by Escherichia coli bearing fabA′::lux fusions. J Biotechnol 2002, 94:125-132. This biosensor is responsive to a variety of pollutants, on the basis of induction in the presence of long-chain acyl-CoA molecules. Several environmentally significant chemicals were tested using the fabA′::lux fusion in Escherichia coli and found to have lower detection thresholds than the conventional Microtox method.
31. Bastiens L, Springael D, Dejonghe W, Wattiau P, Verachtert H, Diels L: A transcriptional luxAB reporter fusion responding to fluorene in Sphingomonas sp. LB126 and its initial characterisation for whole-cell bioreporter purposes. Res Microbiol 2001, 152:849-859.
32. Brandt KK, Pedersen A, Sørensen J: Solid-phase contact assay that uses a lux-marked Nitrosomonas europaea reporter strain to estimate toxicity of bioavailable linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in soil. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:3502-3508.
33. Durham KA, Porta D, Twiss MR, McKay RML, Bullerjahn GS: Construction and initial characterization of a luminescent Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 Fe-dependent bioreporter. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2002, 209:214-221. The response of the iron bioreporter generally agreed with the difference in dissolved iron as measured by chemical means.
34. Funabashi H, Haruyama T, Mie M, Yanagida Y, Kobatake E, Aizawa M: Non-destructive monitoring of rpoS promoter activity as stress marker for evaluating cellular physiological status. J Biotechnol 2002, 94:85-93.
35. Axtell CA, Beattie GA: Construction and characterization of a proU-gfp transcriptional fusion that measures water availability in a microbial habitat. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:4604-4612. This is a particularly elegant use of reporter genes for monitoring a specific stress factor, (i.e. water deprivation to microorganisms on a microbial level in situ on leaves). These gfp-based biosensors can be used to monitor water availability to bacteria in their habitat.
36. Casavant NC, Beattie GA, Phillips GJ, Halverson LJ: Site-specific recombination-based genetic system for reporting transient or low-level gene expression. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:3588-3597.
37. Espinosa-Urgel M, Ramos J-L: Expression of a Pseudomonas putida aminotransferase involved in lysine catabolism is induced in the rhizosphere. Appl Environ Microbiol 2001, 67:5219-5224.
38. Koch B, Nielsen TH, Sørensen D, Andersen JB, Christophersen C, Molin S, Givskov M, Sørensen J, Nybroe O: Lipopeptide production in Pseudomonas sp. Strain DSS73 is regulated by components of sugar beet seed exudate via the Gac two-component regulatory system. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:4509-4516.
39. Dunn AK, Klimowicz AK, Handelsman J: Use of a promoter trap to identify Bacillus cereus genes regulated by tomato seed exudate and a rhizosphere resident Pseudomonas aureofaciens. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003, 69:1197-1205.
40. Goh YY, Ho B, Ding JL: A novel fluorescent protein-based biosensor for Gram-negative bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:6343-6352.
41. Olsen KN, Budde BB, Siegumfeldt H, Rechinger KB, Jakobsen M, Ingmer H: Noninvasive measurement of bacterial intracellular pH on a single-cell level with green fluorescent protein and fluorescence ratio imaging microscopy. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:4145-4147.
42. Haidinger W, Szostak MP, Beisker W, Lubitz W: Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-dependent separation of bacterial ghosts from intact cells by FACS. Cytometry 2001, 44:106-112.
43. Lowder M, Unge A, Maraha N, Jansson JK, Swiggett J, Oliver JD: Effect of starvation and the viable but nonculturable state on green fluorescent protein (GFP) fluorescence in GFP-tagged Pseudomonas fluorescens A506. Appl Environ Microbiol 2000, 66:3160-3165.
44. Gunasekera TS, Sørensen A, Attfield PV, Sørensen SJ, Veal DA: Inducible gene expression by nonculturable bacteria in milk after pasteurization. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002, 68:1988-1993.
45. Arana I, Irizar A, Seco C, Muela A, Fernandez-Astorga A, Barcina I: gfp-Tagged cells as a useful tool to study the survival of Escherichia coli in the presence of the river microbial community. Microb Ecol 2003, 45:29-38.
46. Jernberg C, Jansson JK: Impact of 4-chlorophenol contamination and/or inoculation with the 4-chlorophenol-degrading strain, Arthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6L, on soil bacterial community structure. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2002, 42:387-397. A higher bioluminescence output was observed in luc-tagged cells incubated in 4-chlorophenol contaminated soil compared with uncontaminated soil, which was most likely due to the energy boost provided by the presence of 4-chlorophenol as a metabolizable substrate.